Cockle gatherers claim victory in legal row over sewage pollution

Welsh cockle gatherers who believe their livelihood has been wrecked by sewage pollution are claiming vindication after it emerged that the UK Government now accepts that a European Directive has been breached.

Welsh cockle gatherers who believe their livelihood has been wrecked by sewage pollution are claiming vindication after it emerged that the UK Government now accepts that a European Directive has been breached.

The news was revealed to leading cockle gatherer Robert Griffiths in a letter from the European Commission official handling his long-standing complaint.

He and his colleagues claim that sewage pollution has severely damaged the cockle beds on the Burry Inlet, near Llanelli.

In the letter, the EC official stated: “We discussed the complaint with the UK authorities at (a) meeting in London.

We asked the UK to provide us with an update on the latest spill data for all the spills from the Llanelli and Gowerton systems.

“I think the first aim must be to ensure that there is clarity about the magnitude of the problem and how the situation is currently monitored.

“Once this updated information is available I will hopefully be able to provide you with a more formal written update.

“The difference in this case to the two we have taken to the (European) Court is that here the UK authorities accept that there is a breach of the Directive and are working to put in place improvements.

“It would be helpful to hear from you and the other complainants whether you feel these measures will bring about compliance and sufficiently reduce spills or whether you have other measures in mind.”

Mr Griffiths said: “I first complained about the pollution in 2005, and it has taken eight long years for the UK authorities to admit that the EU Directive on waste water has been breached.

“For all these years we have been told that nothing is wrong, and now we get this.

"Obviously the news is welcome, but we want to see action taken to ensure no sewage pollution occurs in the future.

“We believe there is a clear need for another sewage treatment station, and that Welsh Water should provide it.”

The European Commission takes action against member states, but responsibility for regulating the Burry Inlet lies with Environment Agency Wales.

A spokesman for Environment Agency Wales said, “In 2009 We were asked by the Welsh Government to investigate a possible breach of compliance with the Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive at the Bury Inlet.

“Our investigation concluded that there were deficiencies in Dwr Cymru Welsh Water’s sewage network at Gowerton and Llanelli.

“In order to satisfy continued compliance with the above directive, we instructed Welsh Water to develop an improvement plan which would provide a robust and sustainable sewage system to serve the communities of Gowerton and Llanelli.

“This plan is now being implemented within the catchments.

“Our findings and suggested course of action were communicated to the European Commission via the Welsh Government to monitor the progress of this work.

“To date there has been no formal response from the European Commission.”

A spokesman for Welsh Water said: “We are planning to invest over £15m in a series of projects in the Loughor Estuary area to more effectively manage the large volume of rainwater that runs off roofs and roads before entering the sewerage system and deal with the issues that it causes. We anticipate this work will begin in the Spring.

“Our £15m investment will solve about 20% of the surface water issues currently experienced in the area. Additional work required could cost up to a total of £150m. This cost is based on the worst-case scenario and represents spend between now and 2025. However, we believe that we will eventually deliver the required environmental and customer service outcomes for less.

“Our approach will use sustainable drainage methods to reduce the amount of rainfall runoff entering our sewerage network. We will use a wide range of techniques to do this, including permeable pavements and planted areas that will help return rainwater more naturally to the environment.